I would argue that you buy ecash from a mint, whereas a coordinator provides an obfuscation service.
Discussion
Ecash mint is similar to custodial mixer where you deposit and withdraw. However, mints use blind signatures or tokens instead of accounts.
The ecash is a bearer instrument that you purchase with bitcoin. You don't deposit and withdraw. There are no accounts to withdraw from. You redeem tokens which were purchased previously.
Unless I misunderstand how it works, I'm an ecash noob. Happy to be educated. nostr:nprofile1qqs9pk20ctv9srrg9vr354p03v0rrgsqkpggh2u45va77zz4mu5p6ccpzemhxue69uhk2er9dchxummnw3ezumrpdejz7qgkwaehxw309a5xjum59ehx7um5wghxcctwvshszrnhwden5te0dehhxtnvdakz7qrxnfk
You purchase tokens by **depositing** bitcoin and **withdraw** bitcoin by redeeming tokens.
Never said there are accounts.
If I buy gold from my local gold shop with dollars, give it to my friend, and then he sells it back to the gold shop for dollars, that is me depositing dollars to the gold shop?
Better analogy: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawala#Procedure
Yeah, tokens are redeemable at the bank but they are controlled by the bearer.